The four Rectors of Milan in the fight against the gender gap: a challenge of equality but also of economic development
Four women against the gender gap. Four university rectors from Milan, to be exact: Elena Beccalli of Cattolica, Marina Brambilla of Statale, Giovanna Iannantuoni of Bicocca (also president of Crui, the Conference of Rectors of all Italian universities) and Donatella Sciuto of Politecnico. An exemplary photo (la Repubblica, 26 October) shows them side by side with the mayor of the city, Beppe Sala, in the Palazzo Marino, discussing with a group of high school students how to increase women’s participation in the labour market and the benefits this can bring, not only for the economy, but also and above all for social cohesion, sustainable development and quality of life (la Repubblica, 26 October).
The image is a symbol of the path taken by women in Milan in terms of political and cultural responsibility. Its significance may even increase in the future, given the appointment of Valentina Garavaglia as the new rector of IULM in November. The new rector, Agaglia, will assume office, and Anna Gervasoni, the rector of Liuc (the University of Castellanza), which is located in the province of Varese but has strong ties to the productive territories in the north of Milan, could also be considered a Milanese figure. However, beyond the picture, the rectors also have a warning: what still needs to be done to reduce and then eliminate those gender differences that affect work, pay, rights and, indeed, power, as access to the tools that can determine economic and social balances and chart a better future.
One thing is evident: considering the role, weight and responsibility of women is not merely about acquiring knowledge and skills to enhance their status. It is, above all, about developing an intellectual and cultural framework, an “intelligence of the heart”, sensitivity and a pragmatic approach. The ability to solve problems that could be pivotal in effecting the much-discussed economic and social “paradigm shift”, which has implications for the productive economy, civil society, the intricate domain of rights and responsibilities, social welfare and our democracy as a whole.
And it is, of course, about the conditions for a better future. Including the evolution and governance of Artificial Intelligence. As Donatella Sciuto from Politecnico, explains, “When I think that the overwhelming majority of AI systems are developed by men, it raises concerns about the potential for technology to perpetuate gender bias”. And so? It now seems to be accepted that, to put it simply, the structure of algorithms, the construction of the relationship between questions and answers, requires a multidisciplinary commitment (computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, engineering, but also sociology, philosophy, psychology, economics, law) to understand their meaning and values and to manage their dynamics and consequences. The important thing is that the presence of women is high, discipline by discipline. The commitment of the four rectors points the way forward.
Here is a point of agreement: there must be an insistence on merit, on the professional skills of women. “We did not become rectors because of pink quotas. We studied, researched and competed,” says Marina Brambilla, the head of the Statale. This way, “women manage to become leaders where they are able to study like their peers. I think Milan and Lombardy are a good example.”
There are three articles of the Constitution that can be used as a reference, articles 3, 31 and 37, which explicitly state that “a working woman shall have the same rights and, for equal work, the same remuneration as a male worker” (we blogged about this on 17 September). And it is a disparity that continues to affect both the personal lives of millions of women and the quality of the country’s economic development.
Let’s look at some data to get a better understanding. According to ISTAT, the female employment rate was 52.7% in the first half of 2024, an improvement from 51.9% in the same period last year. But still well below that of men, at 70.4% in 2024 and 69.4% in 2023, a gap of 18 points, much wider than the EU average of 10%. A gender gap that continues to place us at the bottom of the European league. And it has a negative impact on the overall performance of the Italian economy: “If our female employment rate reached the European average, GDP would grow by 7.4%,” argues Azzurra Rinaldi, an economist and director of the School of Gender Economics at Rome’s La Sapienza University. The same reasoning applies in the EU context: “Investing in gender equality, as documented by the European Institute for Gender Equality, could increase GDP per capita in Europe from 6.1% to 9.6% in 2050. Roughly speaking, this means a gain of between 1.95 and 3.15 trillion euros,” comments Linda Laura Sabbadini (la Repubblica, 25 September), asking rhetorically whether these prospects are enough for European governments to “finally change course” and invest in equality and women’s work. Sabbadini goes on, “Our country is still prisoner of a short-sighted vision, not only because it is unfair and punitive, but because it is the result of a culture that does not understand that investing in gender equality means driving economic growth.”
Other relevant data comes from INPS (National Institute for Social Security), which documents how “mothers are penalised in terms of salaries and careers” (la Repubblica, 25 September). This phenomenon is known in economic and social literature as the ‘child penalty‘, which refers to the impact of motherhood on work and careers. A gap is opening up with men, who are making progress in both areas, while mothers are experiencing part-time work and slow career progression. With a gap that is rarely made up (around thirty points, according to INPS). And, of course, this has an impact on pensions: the average male pension is 35% higher than the average female pension.
Another aspect highlighted by the INPS is the increasing tendency of women to stop working after the birth of a child. If, prior to the birth, the probability of leaving the labour market is more or less the same (9% for men, 11% for women), immediately afterwards, in the year of the birth, the risk rises to 18% for the mother and begins to fall to 8% for the father. At the age of two, the risk is still high for the mother (14%), and it is only after the third year that the situation becomes more equal. Of course, if you can count on family and social support (starting with nursery schools).
The situation is even worse for part-time female workers.
A situation that needs to be radically changed. With political choices. Welfare investments. Equal opportunities. And changing cultural trends. A long and far-reaching commitment. Not exactly what the newspapers and statistics would lead us to believe.
It is not only a matter of justice and a better social balance, but also an advantage in terms of values and quality of development. Marina Beccalli, Catholic University, says, “There are many international studies that document that in organisations or companies where there is a greater presence of women, there is less fraud, more ethical behaviour, a greater orientation towards sustainability.”
(photo Getty Images)
Four women against the gender gap. Four university rectors from Milan, to be exact: Elena Beccalli of Cattolica, Marina Brambilla of Statale, Giovanna Iannantuoni of Bicocca (also president of Crui, the Conference of Rectors of all Italian universities) and Donatella Sciuto of Politecnico. An exemplary photo (la Repubblica, 26 October) shows them side by side with the mayor of the city, Beppe Sala, in the Palazzo Marino, discussing with a group of high school students how to increase women’s participation in the labour market and the benefits this can bring, not only for the economy, but also and above all for social cohesion, sustainable development and quality of life (la Repubblica, 26 October).
The image is a symbol of the path taken by women in Milan in terms of political and cultural responsibility. Its significance may even increase in the future, given the appointment of Valentina Garavaglia as the new rector of IULM in November. The new rector, Agaglia, will assume office, and Anna Gervasoni, the rector of Liuc (the University of Castellanza), which is located in the province of Varese but has strong ties to the productive territories in the north of Milan, could also be considered a Milanese figure. However, beyond the picture, the rectors also have a warning: what still needs to be done to reduce and then eliminate those gender differences that affect work, pay, rights and, indeed, power, as access to the tools that can determine economic and social balances and chart a better future.
One thing is evident: considering the role, weight and responsibility of women is not merely about acquiring knowledge and skills to enhance their status. It is, above all, about developing an intellectual and cultural framework, an “intelligence of the heart”, sensitivity and a pragmatic approach. The ability to solve problems that could be pivotal in effecting the much-discussed economic and social “paradigm shift”, which has implications for the productive economy, civil society, the intricate domain of rights and responsibilities, social welfare and our democracy as a whole.
And it is, of course, about the conditions for a better future. Including the evolution and governance of Artificial Intelligence. As Donatella Sciuto from Politecnico, explains, “When I think that the overwhelming majority of AI systems are developed by men, it raises concerns about the potential for technology to perpetuate gender bias”. And so? It now seems to be accepted that, to put it simply, the structure of algorithms, the construction of the relationship between questions and answers, requires a multidisciplinary commitment (computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, engineering, but also sociology, philosophy, psychology, economics, law) to understand their meaning and values and to manage their dynamics and consequences. The important thing is that the presence of women is high, discipline by discipline. The commitment of the four rectors points the way forward.
Here is a point of agreement: there must be an insistence on merit, on the professional skills of women. “We did not become rectors because of pink quotas. We studied, researched and competed,” says Marina Brambilla, the head of the Statale. This way, “women manage to become leaders where they are able to study like their peers. I think Milan and Lombardy are a good example.”
There are three articles of the Constitution that can be used as a reference, articles 3, 31 and 37, which explicitly state that “a working woman shall have the same rights and, for equal work, the same remuneration as a male worker” (we blogged about this on 17 September). And it is a disparity that continues to affect both the personal lives of millions of women and the quality of the country’s economic development.
Let’s look at some data to get a better understanding. According to ISTAT, the female employment rate was 52.7% in the first half of 2024, an improvement from 51.9% in the same period last year. But still well below that of men, at 70.4% in 2024 and 69.4% in 2023, a gap of 18 points, much wider than the EU average of 10%. A gender gap that continues to place us at the bottom of the European league. And it has a negative impact on the overall performance of the Italian economy: “If our female employment rate reached the European average, GDP would grow by 7.4%,” argues Azzurra Rinaldi, an economist and director of the School of Gender Economics at Rome’s La Sapienza University. The same reasoning applies in the EU context: “Investing in gender equality, as documented by the European Institute for Gender Equality, could increase GDP per capita in Europe from 6.1% to 9.6% in 2050. Roughly speaking, this means a gain of between 1.95 and 3.15 trillion euros,” comments Linda Laura Sabbadini (la Repubblica, 25 September), asking rhetorically whether these prospects are enough for European governments to “finally change course” and invest in equality and women’s work. Sabbadini goes on, “Our country is still prisoner of a short-sighted vision, not only because it is unfair and punitive, but because it is the result of a culture that does not understand that investing in gender equality means driving economic growth.”
Other relevant data comes from INPS (National Institute for Social Security), which documents how “mothers are penalised in terms of salaries and careers” (la Repubblica, 25 September). This phenomenon is known in economic and social literature as the ‘child penalty‘, which refers to the impact of motherhood on work and careers. A gap is opening up with men, who are making progress in both areas, while mothers are experiencing part-time work and slow career progression. With a gap that is rarely made up (around thirty points, according to INPS). And, of course, this has an impact on pensions: the average male pension is 35% higher than the average female pension.
Another aspect highlighted by the INPS is the increasing tendency of women to stop working after the birth of a child. If, prior to the birth, the probability of leaving the labour market is more or less the same (9% for men, 11% for women), immediately afterwards, in the year of the birth, the risk rises to 18% for the mother and begins to fall to 8% for the father. At the age of two, the risk is still high for the mother (14%), and it is only after the third year that the situation becomes more equal. Of course, if you can count on family and social support (starting with nursery schools).
The situation is even worse for part-time female workers.
A situation that needs to be radically changed. With political choices. Welfare investments. Equal opportunities. And changing cultural trends. A long and far-reaching commitment. Not exactly what the newspapers and statistics would lead us to believe.
It is not only a matter of justice and a better social balance, but also an advantage in terms of values and quality of development. Marina Beccalli, Catholic University, says, “There are many international studies that document that in organisations or companies where there is a greater presence of women, there is less fraud, more ethical behaviour, a greater orientation towards sustainability.”
(photo Getty Images)